On the Eve of Hell: How Britain & France Gave Austria and Czechoslovakia to Hitler

Translated by Ollie Richardson & Angelina Siard

13:24:2030/10/2016

The website of the TV channel “Tvzvezda” has published a series of articles on the great Patriotic war of 1941-1945 by writer Leonid Maslovsky, based on his book “Russkaya Pravda”, published in 2011.

In his opinion articles, Maslovsky reveals “the myths of the imaginary foe, Russia, and the events of the great Patriotic war, showing the greatness of our Victory.” The author notes that in his articles he is going to “show the US’ unhelpful role in West Germany’s preparations for war with the USSR”.

Germany, before the outbreak of the Second world war, was preceded by the following events: the war in Spain, the occupation of Germany, Italy and Japan on the territory of other states, the establishment of a military alliance against the USSR, the refusal of England and France on signing the mutual assistance pact with the USSR, surrender of Czechoslovakia to Germany via the Munich agreement. In 1931, Spain had overthrown the monarchy and proclaimed a Republic. The Spanish Republic did not last long. In 1936, the Spanish fascists led by Franco revolted, which was prepared and supported by the fascist states of Italy and Germany.

England and France declared a policy of non-intervention that was actually comparable with joining the side of the Nazis. In 1939, Spain installed the fascist dictatorship of General Franco. Volunteers from all over the world fought in Spain against the fascists. But it was not much as they could not win. The Soviet Union also sent volunteers to Spain who fought with the Nazis initially, and successfully beat them in the air and on the ground. But when the Germans began to use the latest models of equipment, volunteers became convinced that German military equipment, particularly aircraft, was superior to the Soviet’s.

Our fighter planes, “I-16” and “I-15”, were the best in the world, but suddenly it became clear that they belonged to a generation of obsolete weapons. Similar conclusions had been made about other types of weapons, in particular tanks. The Soviet government took all measures to accel§erate the development and launch of a series of new generation weapons, that were not inferior, and in some cases, were superior to similar types of weapons from other countries.

Russia once again performed a miracle, and already in 1941, we had a new weapons for the troops, and, most importantly, we were able to increase their production, as was the case for the entire war. From late 1942, the production of weapons was far ahead of Germany with a United Europe. From other events it should be noted that in 1935 Italian troops invaded Abyssinia (Ethiopia), and on March 7 1936, Nazi battalions, without resistance occupied the Rhineland demilitarized zone.

In April 1939, Italy occupied Albania. In March 1938, the Anschluss took place (accession), but rather, the seizure by Germany of Austria. On September 29-30, 1938 as a result of the Munich agreement, Czechoslovakia was divided and the Sudetenland was ceded to Germany, and in March 1939, Germany occupied the rest of Czechoslovakia.

Japan in 1931 seized Manchuria and by 1938 captured a large part of China’s territory. Stalin, in his report at the XVIII Congress of the party, said: “The war quietly crept onto the nations, and dragged into its orbit over five hundred million people, extending its vast territory – from Tianjin, Shanghai and Cato through Abyssinia to Gibraltar… the new imperialist war had become a fact”.

A united military alliance was against the Soviet Union, featuring the most aggressive powers of the world: Germany, Japan and Italy. In addition to these countries in the union with Germany was Hungary, Romania and Finland. The Soviet government was concerned with the intention of the West to provoke a military conflict between Germany with its allies and the Soviet Union, and the possible involvement of England, France and the USA in the war against the Soviet Union.

The government of the USSR had sufficient grounds for concern. Negotiations with Western countries that had not entered into an Alliance with Germany were conducted from the spring of 1939, but did not bring any results. Britain and France did not want to conclude a mutual assistance Pact with the Soviet Union. They did not want to conclude a mutual assistance Pact with Poland. By the way, Poland was craving together with Germany to attack the USSR. Germany refused the services of Poland. There is reason to believe that such actions are explained by its decision to liquidate Poland, to destroy the poles, and to include their lands in the metropolis. Perhaps that is why Hitler took Poland as an ally against the USSR.

Of course, the question of the unfulfilled will of the German alliance between Germany and Poland is of interest, but to understand the history of the Second world war, we must look at a more important global issue: why did Britain and France refuse, in May 1939, to sign the Treaty of mutual assistance with the Soviet Union, and, thus, refuse, when it was not too late, to neutralize the aggressive ambitions of Germany? They gave Germany Austria and Czechoslovakia, and given the fact that they refused to sign the Treaty with the Soviet Union, these countries can be called direct participants in the outbreak of the Second world war.

England and France had not signed the Treaty of mutual assistance with the USSR as they were confident that the war will not come to them: England will sit on their island, and France is the “Maginot line”. England and France hoped for the mutual destruction or extreme weakening of Russia and Germany and other European countries, leading to the strengthening of England and France.

Some members of the government and political leaders openly spoke about it, in particular, the Minister of the aviation industry of England, Moore-Brabazon. Son Of W. Churchill, Randolph, talked about what the ideal outcome of the war in the East would be: that when the last German was killed, the last Russian was lying dead nearby. Apparently, the son inherited the dreams of his father – Winston Churchill.

It is obvious that England and France sought to strengthen Germany to use against the USSR. In particular, the Munich agreement had not strengthened their security, unlike the USSR Treaty concluded in the future with Germany, so this creates the conspiracy theory that they were strengthening Germany for the attack on the Soviet Union.

The Munich agreement, because of England and France (of course, not without the blessing of the USA) can be called a crime, not only against Czechoslovakia and the USSR, but also against humanity in general. But they are silent about it, and everyone is talking about the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the conclusion of which the government of the USSR for some time provided security to his people via peaceful labor and mass production of new types of military equipment, such as T-34 and KV tanks.

How did Germany become stronger, gaining Austria and Czechoslovakia? Consider at least one – Czechoslovakia. Only the plants of “Skoda” supplied the Germans during the Second world war so many weapons that it allowed them to fight with 40 German divisions. In 1938-1939, these plants produced “almost the same product as all the English military factories at the same time… for one of 1938,” wrote Winston Churchill.

British historian F. Rothstein wrote the following: “Perhaps, throughout the history of diplomacy (including the political training of people from internal propaganda) there is not such an example of aiding the aggressor (1935 to 1939) to attack a state (the USSR) that has long elected the ruling class of Great Britain as a target”. The actions of the US, Britain and France led to the outbreak of World War II.